Essaouira cooking class

Essaouira cooking class: a true insight into a local way of life

Sat around Latifa’s family-home kitchen grating a fourth tomato for our vegetarian couscous, I came to realise that this experience was not just about an Essaouira cooking class, this was four women enjoying each other’s company and learning about our separate families and way of life. I’m not a cook and have never really enjoyed…

Agadir to Essaouira road trip

Agadir to Essaouira road trip: 5 day itinerary

Agadir and Essaouira are two very different coastal towns in Morocco. Whilst Agadir is geared heavily towards the package holiday market, laid-back Essaouira is a bohemian hotspot that oozes history and charm. If you are choosing between the two to base yourself for a holiday, then check out our Agadir versus Essaouira guide. However, if…

old pottery kilns in Safi, Morocco

Top 6 things to do in Safi, Morocco: from pottery to Portuguese history

Rarely on the tourist radar, the coastal town of Safi just a two hour drive north of Essaouira, is famed for its pottery. Indeed, a visit to the Pottery Quarter is one of the top things to do in Safi, Morocco. Although with its Portuguese history and coastal location, there’s more to this sleepy town…

Val d'Argan Essaouira

Essaouira wine tasting: a visit to Val d’Argan winery

Surrounded by succulent orange trees and bright bursts of bougainvillea in the December sunshine, I sipped a crisp white wine and was immediately transported to the Mediterranean. Except this isn’t the French Riviera or the rolling hills of Tuscany, but the Moroccan desert, just a 30 minute drive inland from Essaouira. These are wineries in…

Had Draa market

Had Draa market, Essaouira: one of Morocco’s largest markets

Had Draa market is a fascinating insight into traditional Moroccan life, a feast for the senses, and one of the largest markets in Morocco. Held every Sunday, thousands of locals descend on this sleepy town to buy and sell goods. You can find everything from shoe menders to basket weavers, blacksmiths to carpenters, spice sellers…

surf boards and quad bikes in Essaouira

Essaouira surf school: learning to surf in Morocco

Essaouira, Morocco’s main surfing town, offers ideal conditions for beginner surfers. In this guide, we share what to expect from a local surf school and our own experience learning to surf in Morocco. The Atlantic waves rolling onto the shallow shoreline of Essaouira beach mean that the picturesque port town of Essaouira is one the…